Is BJJ just a fad?

[Aesopian]

Undoubtedly discussed before, but I felt it was time for an update and reaccessment of opinions.

Do you think BJJ is just a passing trend?

[JohnnyCache]

I voted no. BJJ is certainly the MA de jour, but it's effective, and the training imparts a lifelong skill.

Pogs are a fad - BJJ is something very popular right now that might peak and drop off a little, but I think it's here to stay.

[Aesopian]

If you vote, I ask that you explain your reasoning, since yes or no leaves a lot of room for interpretation.

[Feryk]

I voted yes, and before the flaming begins, I thought I'd explain why I voted that way.

I think BJJ is enjoying currently a great level of success and acceptance in the MA world because of it's undisputed success on the mat and in the ring. It represents something relatively new in MA, and it's still very close to the creator (since Helio is still alive).

It will eventually grow beyond it's creators and become subject to McDojoism, Bullshido, etc. like all other MAs. I believe this trend will probably go slower than other MA's because of it's focus on competition, but it will still happen.

In the end, it will become a well established art, much like Judo or others. It will probably still produce outstanding fighters, but there will be crapplers, too. In a few years, there will be a 'new' art that takes the main stage for whatever reason, and people will want to train that instead.

None of this means that BJJ is not an effective art, etc. It just means that it will eventually 'mature'.

[A.D.D]

I voted no because fads tend to go away. I don't think BJJ will go away.

It will just be less popular and go through various cycles as mentioned above with its popularity increasing and McDojo elements creeping in. But it is useful and probably won't be like the... Pet Rock...

Lineage wars!

[Aristeia]

I vote no. It may become less obvious, less "visible" in some sense but it is here to stay. Pure BJJ players, and to some degree even the techniques are less dominant in MMA now. But it's been ingrained as a base.
I've heard it said that a technology hasn't truly taken off until people no longer think about it, it's just taken for granted. Like electricity. The internet's just about at that point.
Same thing here I think. We've come a long way in the last 10 years or so. In the next 10 years I think discussions around BJJ will be few - it (or aspects of it) will simply be an ingrained part of any fighters repetoire and thinking.

[JohnnyCache]

Well, like I said - think something that imparts durable, valid skills isn't a 'fad' the way I think of fad. Ninjitsu in the 80s was a pure fad - it was it's own momentum and bs machine.

BJJ is certainly getting a lot of pop culture exposure from NHB fighting, but I think it will always stay more elite, as long as the BJJ culture self-polices, which it seems to pretty well for an commercial commodity with no regulation.

I guess how much of a 'fad' it turns out to be depends on, like Feryk was saying, how much bullshido creeps into it.

[MEGA JESUS-SAMA]

We all know that BJJ, though excellent in the ring, does not function well in t3h str33t. I believe it will be displaced by more str33t-effective styles such as RBSD and SCARS, but that competitive fighters will still look for it so they don't have to use t3h d34dly moves in the ring.

[Aesopian]

Maybe you missed the memo, but it's been decided by peer review that nothing you just said was funny.

[MEGA JESUS-SAMA]

When "peer review" consists of one person, it's pretty meaningless.